Recording Studio and All Black Blankets.

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I certianly understand about the need to combat standing waves with bass traps in corners, but wondering how the rules apply when you are using only part of a larger area (like 1 bay of a 3-car gaerage)? If you've got a 'wall' of blankets separating one bay from the others, would one still but traps in the far corners of the whole garage? Would it be that effective? I'm guessing it would be better to make a few movable gobo bass traps to isolate the area, height of the garage, maybe in the 4 corners, with 'blanket walls' between them?

The OP has not returned to this thread since the first few replies. What kind of music/instruments are planned for this area? Recording drums or loud amps or a whole band 'live' presents different issues than vocals or acoustic instruments.
 
My garage is set up similarly. Its a two deep garage, two in the front and one and a half in the back. The whole back half is my studio. I have it seperated by a giant frame with wool blankets. Their purpose is to prevent sound from going to the front of the garage and bouncing back and getting ugly reverb (for tracking). It also hides my studio from the road if the garage door is open.

While I don't have any proper treatment, I rarely have issues. It is pretty damn spacious. I mix at low enough levels to where the room really isn't an issue. Besides, there's enough stuff around the walls that there's plenty of broadband absorption. About the only place that could use treatment would be the ceiling.
 
Stopped in at Harbor Freight Tools this morning (Salem, NH) they only had the camo ones for $9.99 and blue ones (with white thread) for $8.49. I got one of the blue ones. Of course I want it to be 'really cool looking', so I'm going to spray paint it black now! :thumbs up:
 
My room is awful. I admit I spend no time trying to make it better. I threw a massive flag on the wall behind my monitors, and a big sleeping bag up over the Window. It's a 10x12 room with a bookcase and two closets with metal bifold doors. I don't think there is much I can do other than to know what frequently ranges are troublesome. Hopefully we will be moving into something better in the spring.
 
ShanPeyton said:
My room is awful. I admit I spend no time trying to make it better. I threw a massive flag on the wall behind my monitors, and a big sleeping bag up over the Window. It's a 10x12 room with a bookcase and two closets with metal bifold doors. I don't think there is much I can do other than to know what frequently ranges are troublesome. Hopefully we will be moving into something better in the spring.
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Go ahead and build some 2'x4' rockwool (or OC703/705) filled bass traps - easy to transport when you move.
 
My three car garage is big enough that the early reflections aren't really early enough to cause many problems, and most of them are broken up by all the crap piles around and hanging off the walls. It's also big enough that any standing waves which got caught inside are low enough in frequency not to affect much, but since it's not actually insulated or sealed particularly well, most of the real bass energy just blows through the walls out into the forest, rather than bouncing around inside the room. There is some reverb in there, flutter echo and such, but if I was crammed into one of the stalls with the speakers at nearfield distances, I don't think it would be barely noticeable. A little "cubicle" of gobos or even packing blankets hanging around the listening position might help that, but I really don't expect that bass trapping would be particularly necessary.

Edit - I've never actually tried mixing in the place, but we have played in there for parties, and it was insanely easy to get decent sound. I did not have much problem with bass build up or inconsistencies in bass response around the room. Every space is different, though.
 
mjbphotos said:
Stopped in at Harbor Freight Tools this morning (Salem, NH) they only had the camo ones for $9.99 and blue ones (with white thread) for $8.49. I got one of the blue ones. Of course I want it to be 'really cool looking', so I'm going to spray paint it black now! :thumbs up:
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The paint will br a reflective surface. Im currently running sound at a theater that someone painted all the acoustic treatment....making it useless.
 
Farview said:
The paint will br a reflective surface. Im currently running sound at a theater that someone painted all the acoustic treatment....making it useless.
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Ha! :laughings: I was joking! But I did use the blanket behind me on Saturday, then did some recording yesterday in the same basic position without it. Haven't had the chance to do an A/B comparison to see if I wasted my $9.
 
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mjbphotos said:
Stopped in at Harbor Freight Tools this morning (Salem, NH) they only had the camo ones for $9.99 and blue ones (with white thread) for $8.49. I got one of the blue ones. Of course I want it to be 'really cool looking', so I'm going to spray paint it black now! :thumbs up:
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You fool!

Everyone knows it's the paisley print that helps with sound abnormalities. :D
 
moresound said:
You fool!

Everyone knows it's the paisley print that helps with sound abnormalities. :D
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That was my understanding as well. But if you want a dark sound, then really the back blankets are the way to go. The white thread does remove groove, as stated in an earlier post. I guess like Emo, punk :) or Michael Bolton.
 
So maybe I should have got the Camo one to camoflauge my mistakes! :facepalm:
 
Harbor Freight has the 72"x80" blankets for $5.00 this week (probably the blue ones).

FYI< I could not tell any difference in guitar or vocal sound pickup with/without the blanket behind me.
tracking room1.webp

Walls are sheet rock. Floor is carpeted, there is a sectional sofa in 2 places (6 pieces total), bookshelves, fishtank, stereo/tv/storage entertainment center, etc in the room, so no flutter echo issues at all, so I'm guessing due to size/positioning and other characteristics the blanket ain't doing diddly-squat?
 
mjbphotos said:
the blanket ain't doing diddly-squat?
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What a surprise. I could have sworn I said that about 3 pages ago. You guys with your blankets. Just treat the room properly.

Why is everyone so adverse to doing things the right way, especially when it's not much more expensive and much more effective.
 
RAMI said:
What a surprise. I could have sworn I said that about 3 pages ago. You guys with your blankets. Just treat the room properly.

Why is everyone so adverse to doing things the right way, especially when it's not much more expensive and much more effective.
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Sometimes no matter how much you teach, we still have to learn.
 
DM60 said:
Sometimes no matter how much you teach, we still have to learn.
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Story of my life. People always realize I'm right sooner or later, usually later. :D

Should have closed this thread after response #1.

Stupid blankets. :rolleyes:
 
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Can't build bass traps for $10!
As this is my mic tracking room room only, bass traps will do how much good? If I stack 2 2'x3.5' in front (7 ft tall, in other words) as movable gobos to block outward-going sound as shown as red lines below, would this have any significant difference in sound? (I doubt it)

tracking room2.webp
 
mjbphotos said:
Can't build bass traps for $10!
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Nobody said you could. But if blankets are useless, which you just proved they are, how smart is it to spend any money on them, whether it's $10 or $1000.

A properly treated room will sound good for tracking without a bunch of stupid ghetto solutions.

Stupid blankets.:rolleyes:

...and I'm not attacking MJB or anyone else in particular here. I just don't get "short cuts". Just because something's cheap doesn't mean it's worth the "savings" is all I'm trying to say.
 
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Well at least the blankets may look cool.

Paisley print that is. ;)
 
I use the harbor freight blankets as "curtains" that drape behind the monitors. I also have some foam up and DIY rockwool traps. If I take out the traps and leave just the foam and blankets the difference is profound. My traps cost me about $16 a piece and I built 8 in a days time. Best investment I've ever made. The stereo separation from the mixing position and the overall tightness of the low end sound is 300% better with my corner bass traps and wall panels. That said, I'm mixing in a 10' x 11' bedroom, but I can't imagine the same wouldn't apply for a large garage sized room.
 
mjbphotos said:
...to block outward-going sound as shown as red lines...
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Your bass trap considerations aside....I would get out of that corner, and try to place myself more at the middle of the room or at least facing down the longer distance maybe 3/4 of the way from the wall.

Being in the corner only complicates your problem...even with proper trapping in the room.
 
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